Texas father who killed daughter's attacker won't face charges

June 19, 2012|Jim Forsyth | Reuters

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A grand jury has declined to bring charges against a Texas father who said he beat to death a man who was attempting to sexually assault his 5-year-old daughter, officials said on Tuesday.

The father, whose name has not been released because he has not been charged with a crime, told police he heard his daughter's screams and ran to a secluded area where he found her under attack by Jesus Flores, 47, who worked for the family.

The father, 23, admitted to Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon and a Texas Ranger investigating the case that he beat Flores to death to protect his child during the incident earlier this month, authorities said.

The case received national attention and focused interest on exactly how far a person could go to prevent a violent crime from happening to a child.

"The Texas Rangers and the Lavaca County Sheriff completed an extensive investigation into the death of Jesus Flores, and the evidence showed that the use of deadly force was justified," District Attorney Heather McMinn said on Tuesday.

"The five year old had injuries consistent with what her father witnessed."

In the dramatic call to 9-1-1 the father made, he frantically tells the dispatcher, "I need an ambulance! This guy was raping my daughter, and I beat him up, and I don't know what to do!"